September 14, 2014 - 3..2..1, World Champion*! Volkswagen wrapped up the title in the
Manufacturers’
Championship of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with a
one-two-three at the Rally Australia. With three rallies still remaining
this season,
the best result in the history of the team means Volkswagen can no
longer be caught at the top of the overall standings. Winners in
Australia,
Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), and team-mates Jari-Matti
Latvala/Miikka Anttila, who finished runner-up down under, successfully
defended the
title in record time. This is the earliest in a season that a World
Championship title has been won for 25 years. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola
Fløene (N/N)
finished third in the final Polo R WRC to round off a perfect team
result. The three Volkswagen crews also top the standings in the
Drivers’ and
Co-Drivers’ Championship. Ogier/Ingrassia and Latvala/Anttila will
battle it out between themselves at the remaining three rallies to see
who is
crowned World Champion at the end of the season.

The Sign of Three: Polo R WRC claims its first one-two-three down under

All
good things come in
threes – especially when it comes to popping champagne corks:
Volkswagen’s one-two-three at the Rally Australia was the first in the
team’s history in
the World Rally Championship. Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia claimed
the 19th victory for the Polo R WRC in only its 23rd outing. Jari-Matti
Latvala/Miikka Anttila added podium number 35 to the 315-hp World Rally
Car from Wolfsburg’s impressive record since making its debut at the
2013
Rally Monte Carlo. Andreas Mikkelsen/Ola Fløene secured podium number
36, for good measure.

The route to the historic success was
anything
but a stroll in the park: the Rally Australia put both man and machine
to the test with its very technical, winding rollercoaster sections
through the
forests of New South Wales on the one hand, and high-speed passages over
open land on the other. Constantly varying gravel surfaces – from
rough,
coarse grit to smooth, clayey, loamy ground – and the relentless
switching between light and shadow made life difficult for the drivers
and
co-drivers. Over the course of the 20 special stages, the World Rally
Cars completed 302.26 kilometres against the clock. The longest and most
distinctive stage was “Nambucca”, which took the crews on a marathon
48.92-kilometre route through forests with steep uphill sections, across
farmland
and over small wooden bridges.

The Sign of Three: Successful title defence in record time

World
Champion*
after just three quarters of the season – only once in the history of
the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) has a manufacturer wrapped up the
Manufacturers’ Championship sooner than Volkswagen in 2014. With nine of
ten possible victories to its name – six of them one-twos – Volkswagen
has
already successfully defended its title. Ogier and Latvala also
spearheaded the team that took the Manufacturers’ title to Wolfsburg in
2013 – with
the biggest winning margin in the history of the WRC (145 points).
Volkswagen goes into the remaining three rallies of the season – in
France, Spain
and Great Britain – with a lead of 194 points.

And then there were two: All-Volkswagen duel in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’
Championship

Even before the Rally Australia it was
already certain that the battle for the title in the WRC Drivers’
Championship
would be played out between the three Volkswagen drivers – Sébastien
Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and Andreas Mikkelsen. After the result down
under, the
three-way battle has now been whittled down to a duel. Although Andreas
Mikkelsen was able to significantly increase his advantage over fourth
place,
he can no longer have a say in the destination of the Drivers’ title.
And so it is that the duel that has dominated the season will also
determine who
wins the World Championship: Sébastien Ogier vs. Jari-Matti Latvala.
This duel has already produced three of the top ten closest finishes in
the World
Rally Championship. Ogier defeated Latvala by just 0.2 seconds in Jordan
in 2011, while Latvala finished a mere 2.4 seconds ahead of Ogier in
New
Zealand in 2010. The closest finish since the two drivers have been in
Volkswagen colours came at this year’s Rally Finland, when Latvala came
home
just 3.6 seconds ahead of Ogier to win his home event. In Australia, 6.8
seconds was all that separated the champion and his challenger.

Bonus points for the leading two on the Power Stage: Latvala ahead of Ogier

Jari-Matti
Latvala/Miikka Anttila won the
Power Stage, on which bonus points are up for grabs for the first three
crews, to pick up an extra three points towards the Drivers’ and
Co-Drivers’
Championship. Second place, and with it two World Championship points,
went to their Volkswagen team-mates Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia.
Over the
last two years in the World Championship, Volkswagen duos have won 16 of
22 Power Stages, bagging extra points on 39 occasions in total.

Facts and figures from the Rally Australia

20
special stages, 17 stage wins – Volkswagen enhanced the already
impressive
record of the Polo R WRC at the Rally Australia. Since the World Rally
Car made its first competitive outing at the 2013 Rally Monte Carlo, the
four-wheel drive powerhouse has won a remarkable 297 of 428 stages. It
has also ended special stages in the top three on 679 occasions. The
Rally
Australia’s 20 special stages yielded a further 42 top-three results for
the Volkswagen drivers.

Quotes after day
three of the Rally Australia

Sébastien Ogier, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #1
“Absolutely
fantastic. I am made up
for our team! They really deserve this success so much. It is hard to
put this feeling into words. The fact that we have wrapped up the World
Championship title with the first ever all-Volkswagen podium is an
incredible success. We can really be proud of ourselves today, here at
the other
end of the world. Julien and I tried to control our slender advantage
over my team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala right through to the finish – and
it worked
out. I think we put on an exciting duel at the top for the fans. It is
awesome that Andreas Mikkelsen and Ola Fløene rounded off this triumph
for the
team. A win would be enough for me to secure the Drivers’ title now. It
would be magnificent to pull it off in France.”

Jari-Matti
Latvala, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #2
“A fantastic success. I am
delighted for the entire team. The Manufacturers’ title is a great
recognition of the fact that everyone at Volkswagen has been utterly
committed to being successful, and also shows that the Polo is the best
rally car
around. We also produced some first-class racing again – Miikka and I
tried to put Sébastien and Julien under pressure right up until the
finish, but
they were unbeatable. Congratulations on a deserved win. I am very happy
with my own performance. Unfortunately we lost crucial seconds with the
wrong
tyre selection, which probably cost us the win. In any case, it is
phenomenal to stand here on the podium with all three Polos. There can
be no better
way to win a World Championship title.”

Andreas Mikkelsen, Volkswagen Polo R WRC #9
“What
an incredible result for
the entire team. World Champions, and with the team’s very first
one-two-three to boot. I am delighted for all the mechanics, engineers
and helpers
who have made this possible, here in Australia and throughout the entire
season. We had a huge lead over fourth place going into the final six
special
stages, but we could not do much in the way of catching the two cars
ahead of us. Caught in no man’s land, our priority was to control our
pace so
that we did not make any mistakes and brought the result home. My goal
ahead of the rally was to defend my advantage over fourth place in the
World
Championship. We have actually managed to increase it. I am absolutely
delighted with my fourth podium of the year. Today is just a fantastic
day.”

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director
“What
a way to put the icing on the cake at the end of such an impressive
season! Winning the Manufacturers’ title with a one-two-three – it
doesn’t get any better. Last year we surpassed all expectations,
particularly our
own. Even then, everyone in the team consistently pushed themselves to
their limits to win the World Championship. It is always more difficult
to
successfully defend the World Championship title than it is to win it in
the first place. What the team has achieved this season, and the extent
to
which it has improved, demands my utmost respect. A chain is only ever
as strong as its weakest link, as they say. With us, every link is as
strong as
the next. I would like to thank my colleagues. Volkswagen is proud of
them. And this title is for everyone at Volkswagen around the world,
whose
support has been magnificent.”